


strength, to protect

by artenon



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon Temporary Character Death, Gen, Missing Scene, Spoilers - Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 06:33:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18047387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artenon/pseuds/artenon
Summary: When everything falls to darkness, Kairi fights in her own way.





	strength, to protect

**Author's Note:**

> i'm all over the place and i swear i want to write a longer fic soon, but i guess i have to get all these shorter fics for my faves out first. this time it's kairi loving hours!!

Kairi couldn’t move.

The sensation was a strange one—she felt submerged and at the same time suspended in open space. A smothering coldness pressed into her from all sides and crushed her lungs in its frigid grasp. Her jaws snapped open to take in air, but there was nothing there.

She forced her eyes open, and vertigo struck her as she found herself adrift in an endless expanse with no substance, no depth or direction; just dark, dizzying nothingness.

She looked around, and the faint relief that she could at least move unrestricted was immediately overpowered by terror at the emptiness around her.

There was no one else here.

Kairi wanted to take a deep breath, to scream, to cry, but there was no air no sound no anything and Kairi curled in on herself, gasping for breath she couldn’t find.

She didn’t want to close her eyes, scared that if she did she would disappear into this pitch darkness. So she kept them open, hugged her arms around herself, and tried to remember.

She’d been kneeling beside Axel. His breath had been rattling from the impact of being thrown. He couldn’t talk, and he shuddered when she touched him. Behind them, the darkness took shape in a massive swirl of Heartless. They rose and blotted out the sky—and then crashed down in a dark wave.

She’d thrown herself over Axel, a vain attempt to protect him before they’d both been swept into the surge of Heartless.

He was gone now. Everyone was gone.

 _Don’t worry_ , a voice whispered in her mind. A familiar voice that tugged at her heartstrings, one she hadn’t heard in months.

Kairi wanted to cry again but in relief, this time.

It was Naminé.

 _Don’t worry_ , Naminé said again. _Your heart won’t succumb to the darkness_. _I—_

 _Naminé?_ Kairi slapped her hand against her chest in a panic. _Are you there?_

No response.

She was alone.

No. No, no, _no_. Kairi clutched the sides of her head, opened her mouth but no sound came out.

She’d failed. She hadn’t been able to protect her friends—and what should she have expected? She’d been so determined to fight and do her part, and she could take on a few small Heartless, sure, but when it came down to it, she was still a novice.

And now she’d failed Naminé, too.

Kairi opened the eyes she’d reflexively squeezed shut. Not that it made a difference; she was still suffocating in the darkness, still couldn’t scream or cry. She dug her fingers into her scalp.

A glimmer of light caught the corner of her eye. She looked and saw a heart, pink glass and softly glowing, and the name came to her unbidden: _Riku_.

Kairi straightened. She couldn’t scream or cry, but maybe that was for the best; she couldn’t afford to do that right now anyway. Instead, she grit her teeth and reached out for Riku’s heart, fingers stretching desperately.

She brushed against it, and a shock ran through her mind.

_Kairi?_

It was Riku’s voice, warm and comforting. She wanted to cling to it and never let go.

 _Riku_ , she said. _You’re here._

_I’m glad you’re okay._

_What happened? Naminé’s gone. Riku, I can’t—I don’t know what to do._

_It’ll be okay_ , Riku said.

Kairi didn’t know how he could remain so calm. She wished he could really be here so he could hold her hand and maybe lend her some of that steadiness.

But then he said, _You need to protect Sora. He’s scared. Don’t let him fade away._

And she understood as her fear slipped away into resolve.

Sora, oh Sora. Unflappable with his friends, shaken without them. Kairi wished he could see the strength he held on his own. But until then, he’d always have Riku and Kairi at his back.

 _We’ll protect him together_ , she said.

 _Right_ , Riku said. She could imagine his smile.

She reached again for Riku’s heart to take it and pull it closer, but as she did large dark claws emerged from the darkness and snatched it away. A Heartless loomed overhead, beady yellow eyes piercing Kairi, one hand curled around a staff, the other closed around Riku’s heart.

_Riku!_

_It’s okay!_ His voice was fainter, but no less reassuring. _It’s okay—we’re all with you. Remember: strength, to protect what matters._

His voice faded into silence as the Heartless sank down, further and further away from Kairi until she couldn’t see it anymore.

And she was alone again, but this time she wouldn’t let herself feel afraid.

Another pink glimmer of light, another name seared into her mind.

_Sora._

He was here, and she wasn’t going to lose him.

She threw her arm out. The heart floated closer to her—or maybe she was moving closer to it. It was impossible to tell in this state with no up or down, left or right. The heart grew larger as the distance between them decreased one way or the other, and Kairi closed her hand around it.

 _Sora?_ she said to it. _Sora, are you okay?_

There was no response, but the heart was warm in her hands. Kairi cupped it gently and cradled it close to her chest. As she did, Sora’s heart glowed brighter, and a warm light effused from her chest in response.

Kairi smiled. It wavered a bit but she was relieved, really. Sora was okay. He couldn’t hear her right now, but she could tell he was alright, wherever he was. Or, as alright as he could be given his situation—all of their situations.

He would figure it out. He would bring her, and Riku, and everyone else back from this darkness. She just had to keep him safe until then.

This must be what Riku meant, Kairi realized, by the strength to protect. Not any raw physical power, but a deep and abiding love, strong enough to overcome the darkness. Strong enough to overcome fear.

And as she thought this, she felt something warm on the back of her neck. Kairi turned and faced a sunburst of light, streaking out towards her in inviting rays.

The Realm of Light.

Home.

She stretched a hand out, the other kept curled around Sora’s heart. But she didn’t move closer to the light, and the light didn’t move closer to her.

She was stuck here still.

But there was a sense of calm about her now, knowing that the way back was so close. She looked down at the heart in her grasp, brought her other hand back down to cover it protectively again. It hummed softly beneath her touch.

Right. Kairi couldn’t do much in the way of combat yet, but she could still fight in her own way. She could still do her part to keep Sora safe.

She stroked her hand over the glimmering heart. Sora was okay. He’d find his way back to her, she was sure of it.

She would make sure of it.

Kairi pressed her lips to his heart. Its warmth flared, coursing into her and spreading through her entire body, and she felt, for the first time in this place, that she could breathe.

She turned away from the light, back into the abyss. She didn’t flinch at it. She squared her shoulders, hugged Sora’s heart to the resonating warmth in her chest, and breathed in deep.

Kairi would keep Sora safe while Sora in turn saved their friends, and then when he came back to her, Kairi would be here to guide him home.

_It’s my turn to protect you._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! i love my girl and i wish we'd gotten to see her fight more in kh3 but i still tried to do her justice with what she was given
> 
> thanks to the [heart hotel (cai & sarah)](https://heart-hotel.carrd.co/) for the quick beta! <3
> 
> / [twitter](https://twitter.com/qorktree)


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